Climate Change Archives

U.S. Business Hails Paris Climate Pact’s Imminent Entry Into Force

Published on October 6, 2016

COP 21 Paris 2015 logoNew York, N.Y., October 6, 2016 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents American business views to the United Nations and other international bodies, applauded the crossing of a key threshold for entry into force of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, following its ratification by a critical mass of the world’s greenhouse gas-emitting nations. Looking ahead to the next major UN climate meeting in Marrakesh next month, USCIB called on UN member governments to work with the private sector in implementing the historic pact.

“This is a major accomplishment, and it paves the way for greater cooperative action to effectively address climate change in the years ahead,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “To do so will require close collaboration between governments and the private sector, from which so many of the technological innovations and investments to deal with climate change will come. USCIB and our global business partners have contributed mightily to this effort, and we are fully prepared to ramp up business support and engagement once effective systems of private-sector consultation are put in place at the national and international levels.”

Agreed at the COP21 Summit in the French capital last December, the Paris Agreement sets out a global plan for reducing heat-trapping emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from 2020 onward, with long-term targets through the end of the century. It is built on nationally determined pledges by nearly all countries. Yesterday, the European Parliament reached consensus on EU-wide ratification, pushing the needed number of countries and collective emissions past the threshold for entry into force.

Unlike its predecessor, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris accord engages all countries in climate action under an international cooperative framework on mitigation, adaptation and resilience. It requires periodic reporting and review of governmental actions, based on a foundation of national pledges and actions, while calling on countries to set progressively more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets at five-year intervals.

“USCIB members were on hand at COP21 in unprecedented numbers to demonstrate their commitment and stake in the accord, and we are confident that this engagement will continue,” said Robinson. “USCIB is ready to strengthen its involvement with the UN process to build long-term cooperation for practical and cost-effective results.”

In its over 20 years of involvement in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process, USCIB has emphasized that the linchpin for successful implementation will be private sector involvement at national and global levels, according to Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for environment and energy.

“Governments will look to business for technical advice, as well as finance, investment and implementation, and we are ready to step up,” Kennedy said. “Important unfinished business remains in elaborating the Paris Agreement and building its support structure, which would be made stronger with business input. In particular, the agreement will need to provide more clarity on how markets and the private sector can contribute.”

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers, and Business at the OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, VP communications, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

Business Highlights Opportunities to Strengthen Paris Agreement

Published on September 16, 2016

ParisWorkshopLast week, business, government, OECD and UNFCCC representatives attended a first of its kind workshop at the OECD to share experiences and explore next steps to enhance the role of business in the preparation, review and improvement of national pledges for the Paris Agreement.  Organized by BIAC and the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF),  the workshop included presentations of pro-active business dialogue and cooperation with national and regional governments from representatives of BusinessEurope, CNI, Keidanren, and MEDEF.

Opening the meeting, Russel Mills, Dow Chemical, Chairman of BIAC’s Environment and Energy Committee, stated that “in today’s increasingly inter-linked economies more in-depth cooperation between governments and business is essential to build the best models to most effectively tackle our major climate change challenges.” Over the course of the workshop, representatives of the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement and implementation bodies presented their perspectives on where business could support action and inform technical discussions leading up to entry into force of the Paris Agreement and the development of rules for tracking progress of national actions.

Norine Kennedy, USCIB, presented a discussion paper, Business Engagement in Domestic and International Implementation of the Paris Agreement: Institutional Infrastructure for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , prepared by USCIB for BizMEF.  The discussion paper offers case studies drawn from a BizMEF survey of its partner organizations and recommends a recognized business interface to be developed as part of the Paris Agreement institutional infrastructure.  This unique report offered to UNFCCC by leading national and regional representative business groups will be further elaborated and presented in final form at a BizMEF side event during the next climate meetings in Marrakesh in November.

BIAC representatives also attended the OECD Global Forum on Climate Change this week.  BIAC’s ongoing policy work to advise OECD member states highlights the necessity of innovative technologies and investments that will support and scale up mitigation, adaptation and resilience.  In his closing comments, Mills reminded the Workshop that when “business identifies the most cost effective options for climate policy, this helps governments and society tackle climate challenges faster and cheaper.”

To read the current discussion draft, click here. We will keep you informed of further developments.

Roundtable on Business Engagement in the Paris Climate Agreement and INDCs

Published on July 1, 2016

forest_greenThe Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD welcomed the successful conclusion of COP 21 in Paris last December and underlined the importance of active business involvement in the implementation of the agreement. On September 12, the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF) in cooperation with BIAC will organize a roundtable on Business Engagement in Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), or country pledges, and the Paris Agreement, back-to-back with the bi-annual OECD/IEA Climate Change Expert Group Meeting in Paris.

Over the past year, major business organizations have shared their experiences consulting with national governments in the preparation of initial INDCs and contributed to a survey prepared by USCIB. Participants from business, governments, academia and international institutions will discuss results and lessons learned as well as ways that business can contribute to the new five-year cycles of domestic and international processes to take stock of global implications and to renew and review INDCs. Discussions will benefit from the unique insights business has into the implications of the portfolio of INDCs for their operations, and investments, and for supply and value chains in the globalized economy.

Business Calls on Governments to Ratify the Paris Agreement

Published on July 1, 2016

Business&Climate_DanilovichThe second Business & Climate Summit – convened by a network of partners that represent over 6 million businesses worldwide – called for swifter government action on climate and the ratification of the Paris Agreement without further delay.

UK Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change Amber Rudd MP addressed the Summit  reaffirming UK leadership on action against climate change despite the vote to leave the European Union.

“Climate change has not been downgraded as a threat,” she said. “It remains one of the most serious long term risks to our economic and national security […] as investors and businesses, you can be confident we remain committed to building a secure, affordable low carbon infrastructure fit for the 21st Century.”

The Business & Climate Summit – the annual gathering of leading global businesses and political leaders dedicated to climate action – met over two days (28-29 June) at London’s Guildhall, in the heart of the world’s leading international financial center, to address how business can, and should, continue to play a proactive role in reducing emissions and building a climate-resilient economy. Those already leading the way are putting climate action at the heart of their business strategy and reaping the economic benefits of doing so.

Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement will require a major shift in investment away from traditional fossil fuel based energy intensive goods and services towards smarter, cleaner low carbon business models. To ensure that the objective of keeping global temperature increases well below 2°C remains possible and can be done in a way that minimizes economic disruption, this shift will have to happen immediately.

Following his role as Coordinator of the COP21 Business Dialogue, Gerard Mestrallet, Chairman, Paris EUROPLACE, Chairman, ENGIE, returned to this year’s Summit and said: “The first priority, I think, is setting carbon price signals everywhere, at levels that reflect the objectives Parties seek to achieve according to their National policies, or Regional policies, as for example for the EU ETS in Europe.”

The final day of the Summit, under the theme Finance, Innovation and Policy for The Low Carbon Transition, looked at the scale of action needed. It is estimated that $90 trillion needs to be invested globally in cities, land use and energy infrastructure – doubling current global annual infrastructure investment – between now and 2030 to help secure a low carbon, climate resilient economy.

Governments were urged to translate their ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ into investment grade policy frameworks as soon as possible and to use carbon pricing as the most efficient way of achieving emission reduction targets.

Discussing low carbon finance and investment, Stuart Gulliver, Group Chief Executive Officer of HSBC, said: “Six months on from Paris we are much closer to being able to implement the terms of COP21 than we were at the start. The barriers to investment are lower, the call to action is louder and there is a clear willingness on the part of business and investors to change their ways and adapt their business models. Investors want to invest in sustainable projects and reduce the carbon footprint of their portfolios. With better standardisation, enhanced disclosure rules and better incentives for issuing green bonds, the COP21 goals can be met, but we must continue to work in unison and at pace with the public sector.”

Business recognizes that, with other non-state actors, it played an important role in securing the Paris Agreement and can play an equally important role in contributing to creating the policy frameworks conducive to long-term climate-resilient low carbon investments. Over the two days, the Summit heard from businesses all over the world, calling for swifter government action on climate and to work in partnership with business to achieve the necessary global policy framework.

During the final afternoon, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) led an International Trade Plenary. Trade and climate change have an inextricable and intimate relationship. The Summit heard from business leaders and policymakers regarding the trade policy priorities required from a climate and green growth perspective, addressing the necessary action needed at the multilateral level as well as the possible role of bilateral and regional agreements. ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said: “Open markets are the best tool we have to enhance global welfare and enable climate action.”

At the beginning of the Summit, the We Mean Business coalition and CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) launched a report, ‘The Business End of Climate Change’ with research analysis from the New Climate Institute. It examined five global initiatives on climate action and found that under current plans, business actions will reduce emissions by 3.7 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent a year, or 60 percent of total emissions cuts pledged in Paris by countries’ NDCs. However, business emissions cuts could reach around 10 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent a year, well over halfway to a sub 2°C world, with the right policy environment for enhanced climate action.

Business Priorities for UN Climate Agreement Implementation

Published on May 23, 2016
Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.
Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.

Following last year’s landmark conclusion of the United Nations climate negotiations (COP21) culminating in the Paris Agreement, an international treaty designed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, USCIB attended the first meeting of the UN’s Ad Hoc Working Group (APA) on the Paris Accord on May 17 in Bonn, Germany to provide business views on the agreement’s implementation.

Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and environment, spoke on behalf of the Business and Industry NGOs at the first meeting of the APA on May 17. She noted that COP21 saw an unprecedented level of business support for the Paris Agreement, and that business across all sectors provides solutions for the world’s mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

“Business develops and provides sustainable solutions in energy production and use, industry, building, transport, energy efficiency, smart cities, water and food security, industrial processes, finance and others that will all be needed for the ambitious, effective global strategy we are embarked on together,” Kennedy said at the meeting.

Kennedy said that transparency, innovation, and investment and markets are business priorities for immediate attention as the UN implements the climate agreement:

Transparency

Defining common rules to measure, report and verify commitments will be essential for the long-term success of the Agreement, and will help promote business support.  Credibility and predictability are vital considerations for private sector planning and investments.

Innovation

All countries and business sectors need to support developing new skills to respond to climate change challenges, enabling energy transitions and shaping public policies for sustainable economies.  Enabling frameworks for innovation and its dissemination, including intellectual property rights protection, are essential. Predictable and transparent policy conditions, open trade and investment and a level playing field in global markets are a prerequisite for effective climate protection.

Investment and Markets

Business welcomes Article 6, because in our view, all markets — including for carbon, goods or financial — should be enlisted to support and deliver results for mitigation and adaptation. Market-based approaches should synergize with other existing policies and options such as international standards, voluntary agreements or other regulatory instruments.

Because business has the relevant expertise to contribute to the review and strengthening of countries’ climate pledges, Kennedy said that a recognized channel for business engagement with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is a must.

“In our view, an institutionalized channel within the UNFCCC for private-sector consultation and engagement would provide the necessary institutional infrastructure to support dialogue, partnership and action in short and long term,” she concluded. “This recognized and regular interface should feature not only at high level events, but in all working aspects of the UNFCCC.”

Climate Change High on BIAC’s Agenda

Published on May 2, 2016

Following the opening ceremony for signature of the United Nations climate agreement (Paris Agreement), held at the UN headquarters on April 22 in New York, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD reiterated its continued support to the OECD as a key organization in the field to provide fact-based analysis concerning the implementation of the Paris Agreement. BIAC called upon the OECD to contribute to increasing the overall cost-effectiveness and coherence of climate measures and to help ensure a policy environment that is supportive of innovation and investment by all the business involved.

At the meeting of the OECD Environment Policy Committee in early May, BIAC will highlight the key recommendations of its paper on the “Post-COP 21 Agenda: Key Actions for the OECD”.  Going forward, BIAC will contribute to preparations for the OECD Environment Ministerial planned for September 2016.

USCIB Statement: Setting the 2030 Sustainability Agenda In Motion

Published on April 20, 2016

un_headquarters_lo-resNow more than ever, business and the global community share a common goal of advancing economic development and sustainability while effectively addressing climate change. This week in New York, governments, business and civil society are gathered to move forward on the landmark decisions of 2015. Through USCIB’s Campaign2015, USCIB and its members supported and informed the decisions of Addis, Paris and New York.  This week our message is clear — it is time to get to work!

Together we have an opportunity to design and carry out promising solutions for the world’s economy and governments, reflecting the UN 2030 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and the conviction that business and governments should work together to address global challenges.  These universal agendas speak to everyone, including the business community. USCIB will approach these imperatives holistically, working with our global business network, the U.S. and other governments, and numerous other partners.

USCIB members are committed to advance the vital outcomes of Addis, New York and Paris, both those that have been decided, as well as those requiring further discussion and elaboration.

Addressing the challenges of sustainability demands new ways of working together, through partnership and enhanced engagement between governments and business.  We understand that the real effort is now beginning, as governments determine working details and put commitments into action.  In business, we too are moving to define priorities for further elaboration and what it will take to mobilize and scale up business investment, innovation and action going forward.

Our joint priorities should include:

  • Strengthening specific and distinct business interfaces to the UN system, such as the Private Sector Coordinating Group for FfD, the HLPF and to the UNFCCC and its bodies, such as the Technology Mechanism and Green Climate Fund
  • Tapping business expertise to catalyze and design enabling frameworks for, among other things, research, development, deployment and management of efficient and low-carbon technologies, investment, trade, finance, MRV, adaptation, risk management, and frameworks to promote effective, inclusive and efficient results.

We welcome the UN’s willingness to work in partnership with business so that we can build solutions to energy security, lower carbon development and sustainable economic growth together. USCIB’s platform, Businessfor2030, highlights the fundamental role business will play in helping to achieve the SDGs and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

USCIB and its members are ready to demonstrate what we are ready to bring to this global effort, and look forward to working with governments, the UN community and society as a whole.

Read more about USCIB’s 2015 activities in support of the UN 2030 Development Agenda

UN 2030 Development Agenda Week

Published on April 18, 2016
Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.

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Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.

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L-R: Amina Mohammed (UN), Peter Robinson (USCIB), Alex Thier (USAID). Shawn Miles (MasterCard) and moderator Matthew Bishop (The Economist).

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Ronnie Goldberg unveils the Business for 2030 website at the Global Employers’ Summit in Bahrain.

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Business & Climate Summit 2015, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich.

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Business & Climate Summit 2015, ICC and USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw.

L-R: John Danilovich (ICC), Christiana Figueres (the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and Terry McGraw (ICC).L-R: John Danilovich (ICC), Christiana Figueres (the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and Terry McGraw (ICC).

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L-R: John Danilovich (ICC), Christiana Figueres (the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and Terry McGraw (ICC).

As United Nations members gather in New York to sign the Paris Climate Agreement and discuss follow-up on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed last year, we thought it timely to recap some of the activities USCIB and its global network undertook in 2015 in support of these pivotal initiatives:

Read USCIB’s Statement: “Setting the 2015 Sustainability Agenda In Motion”

North American Regional Consultation on Climate Change

USCIB convened the North American Business Consultation  on Climate Change on June 23 in Washington, D.C.; this session, organized with the International Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the International Emissions Trading Association, highlighted U.S. and Canadian business priorities for the U.N. climate agreement to be finalized in Paris this December.

In his opening comments to the day-long conference, with over 80 participants including government officials, business leaders, United Nations delegates, and academics, USCIB’s President and CEO, Peter Robinson stated: “USCIB has followed climate change for 20 plus years, and while the issues have evolved, become broader, been through ups and downs in the U.N. negotiations, it has remained a priority for member companies.  And en route to Paris, we see it evolving again, to include a strong element of corporate citizenship and social equity.”

Financing the Sustainable Development Goals

Last year, the United Nations agreed to an ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, a grand vision for sustainability that will reshape the practice of development globally, as well as the private sector’s role in building a more prosperous, healthy world. USCIB is deeply engaged in all aspects of Agenda 2030, advocating for good governance and the rule of law, inclusive economic growth, investment in infrastructure, enabling environments to foster innovation, strong public-private partnerships and above all, an open channel for business input into policy negotiations and implementation at the international and national levels.

USCIB has played a central role in marshaling business input into the UN’s Financing for Development process, having worked actively with members and our global network to ensure that the private sector’s voice was heard at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development last July, where UN member states established a new financing framework to support sustainable development for the next 15 years – the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The new financing framework is generally positive for business, with policies that include an emphasis on governance and domestic resource mobilization, support for blended finance and a move away from an overly-narrow focus on official development assistance. USCIB is also actively engaged in the first follow-up and review of this new framework Financing for Development conference, participating in several high-level events during the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development in New York, April 18-21. USCIB also raised and continues to monitor intellectual property and tax concerns as part of the financing for development process.

Business for 2030

In September 2015, USCIB officially launched its well-received Business for 2030 web portal, a catalog of business engagement that showcases the private sector’s contributions to the SDGs. Business for 2030 features over 140 initiatives from 35 companies in over 150 countries of how businesses are helping to achieve 72 of the 169 SDG targets. In addition to educating the business community about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, the website highlights concrete initiatives and public-private partnerships to inspire renewed trust in the private sector, and to catalyze sustained and active business engagement in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through its blog and Twitter presence, the site also targets business perspectives to the UN community to sensitize them to business perspectives on SDG priorities and implementation.

USCIB Represents Business at Cool Earth Forum in Tokyo

USCIB attended the 2nd Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF2) on October 6-7 in Tokyo.  ICEF2, convened at the initiative of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, focused on promoting technological innovation as a means to address climate change. The two-day forum brought together 1,000 researchers, business representatives and policymakers from around the globe to present a broad range of innovative technologies, and discuss what innovative measures should be developed, how the innovation should be promoted, and how cooperation and public private partnership should be enhanced.

At High-Level Summit, Business Representatives Urge Ambitious Climate Pact

Private-sector representatives from around the world endorsed the conclusion of an ambitious and comprehensive worldwide agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen resilience, while advancing energy access and security in the context of sustainable development.

During a December meeting at the headquarters of the French business federation. MEDEF, company executives and business federation officials from more than 20 countries agreed on a joint declaration stating: “Climate change is a common responsibility for all stakeholders, including for businesses in every part of the world, of every sector and every size, large groups and SMEs.”

United Nations Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) 

In December 2015, the United Nations concluded what was possibly the most important environmental meeting in history, when 194 countries agreed to a long-term climate treaty designed to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. The climate negotiations in Paris (COP21) saw unprecedented support and involvement from the business community, with USCIB and member companies on the ground at COP21 to demonstrate their commitment and stake in the accord.

Thanks to sustained advocacy from USCIB and other business organizations, the final climate agreement recognizes the need for enabling investment frameworks in global markets, as well as policies necessary to mobilize business innovation across all borders. Innovation, enabling frameworks for cost effective and scientifically sound policy design, and the need to work with business in partnerships are priorities for USCIB’s ongoing involvement in UN environmental work.

Following the Paris Agreement, UN Charts Next Steps for International Environmental Policy

Published on February 17, 2016

UNEPFresh on the heels of COP21 in Paris – possibly the most important United Nations environmental meeting in history – governments are meeting in Nairobi this week to develop an international policy agenda on a wide range of environmental topics at a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) preparatory meeting. The meeting saw over 20 draft resolutions for government action and further UN activity on climate change, chemicals and waste, marine plastic debris and micro plastics, and food waste. The new resolutions that come out of this meeting will be adopted at the 2nd UN Environment Assembly in May.

Beyond environmental topics, governments are also considering cross-cutting issues and initiatives, including health and environment, and the UN’s far-reaching collaboration with the World Health Organization; financing and investment for sustainable development; and the role of public-private partnerships involving the business community across several of these areas.

USCIB is on hand as an official business representative to UNEP. Norine Kennedy, vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and environment, delivered remarks on behalf of the Business and Industry Major Group on a range of business issues in a statement to the Opening Session.

“The groundbreaking sustainability agreements of last year could not have happened without the strong engagement of business working with other stakeholders and governments, and UNEA must also engage the private sector,” Kennedy said.  Innovation, enabling frameworks for cost effective and scientifically sound policy design, and the need to work with business in partnerships are priorities for USCIB’s ongoing involvement in UN environmental work

The UN Environment Assembly next May will be the first major inter-governmental sustainability meeting since the Paris climate summit. The assembly will place special emphasis on “Delivering the Environmental Aspects of the SDGs.”  Ministers will meet to consider how to jumpstart and deepen implementation on environmental issues embedded in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNEP is the authoritative environmental agency in the United Nations system.  USCIB will be discussing business issues and strategy for the second UN Environment Assembly at the next meeting of the USCIB Environment Committee in Washington DC on March 8.

2015: A Landmark Year for Sustainability

Published on January 8, 2016
Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.
Norine Kennedy and Peter Robinson speak at a press conference on December 9 at COP21 in Paris.

On December 12, the international community ended one of the most productive years of sustainability policy since 1992, when 194 countries concluded a long-term UN climate treaty known as the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA).

The Paris Climate Summit attracted 150 heads of state, including President Obama, along with more than 40,000 registered attendees and unprecedented business representatives. Combined with the UN’s new 2030 Development Agenda, the Paris agreement shows how the international community has defined an integrated multilateral framework of sustainability policy, implementation, markets and partnership that will depend on business innovation and investment, and impact companies of all sectors and sizes.

The Paris Agreement is a departure from its predecessor, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, since it is based on national pledges that were not the subject of the negotiations.  Among the agreement’s highlights:

  • Establishment of an international framework for stocktaking on government actions in several areas, including mitigation, adaptation and technology cooperation. Countries are obliged to report on progress and set progressively more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets at five year intervals.
  • Ambitious long term goals to limit mean temperature rise to 2.0 C, strive to 1.5 C, with global peaking and net carbon neutrality in the second half of the century.
  • Call for public and private sources to mobilize a minimum of $100 billion per year to support climate action in developing countries, increasing after 2020.

The agreement will enter into force when 55 countries making up 55 percent of global emissions ratify it.  USCIB noted several positive outcomes for business in the Paris agreement relating to technology innovation, the option to use markets for emissions reductions, and the engagement of business in near-term actions and technical inputs.

Historic Business Support and Attendance at COP21

“Business was seeking flexibility and clarity in this agreement, especially with regard to the possible use of markets at national and international levels,” said USCIB member Nick Campbell (Arkema). “We are pleased to see that the Paris Agreement does not preclude these options, and the door remains open for carbon markets to evolve among interested countries.”

USCIB members and staff, including President and CEO Peter Robinson and Vice President for Energy, Environment and Strategic International Engagement Norine Kennedy, were on the ground in Paris to advance USCIB policy priorities, hold several side meetings and presentations on U.S. business climate perspectives and demonstrate business’s stake in a successful outcome.

Prior to COP21, USCIB had strong concerns that some countries would attempt to address intellectual property in the Paris outcome as a barrier to the transfer of green technology. Thanks to sustained advocacy from USCIB and many other business organizations, the Paris Agreement does not reference IP, and underscores the need for enabling frameworks.

“Open trade and strong IP protection are central enabling conditions for innovation, stimulating investment and disseminating new greener technologies and knowledge,” said Kennedy. “Many governments continue to express interest in engaging with the private sector on climate action, and business will remain involved in the process as countries move to elaborate and implement the agreement.”

US Business Seeks A Recognized Role for the Private Sector

USCIB and the American Chamber of Commerce in France issued a joint declaration following a daylong meeting they convened on the role of U.S. companies in elaborating and implementing the Paris Climate Summit outcomes.

The declaration stated: “Until now, business groups have been viewed as ‘observers’ at these vital UN deliberations. Yet in view of all that business does and offers, that is a misnomer. We see COP21 as a pivotal opportunity to pursue institutional innovation. New challenges require new ways of working together, which can be achieved through the recognition and expansion of partnerships, dialogue and consultation between governments and the private sector.”

The two business groups stated that a recognized business consultative relationship would provide both long-term and short-term benefits, helping governments prioritize policies to address climate change, while allowing companies to better invest in cleaner technologies and solutions. This interface could provide national governments and the UN secretariat with detailed technical guidance on a range of matters, including implementation of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) at the national and international levels.

In addition, USCIB represented U.S. business at the Business Climate Summit, a CEO level event organized by MEDEF, the pre-eminent French business group, in the second week of the Paris Climate Summit.  Its conclusions also called for recognized dialogue with business as a necessary next step after COP21.

Further UN climate discussions beginning in 2016 will be needed to elaborate the agreement.  Addressing the follow-up that will be required, USCIB’s Robinson stated: “Our takeaway from Paris is that the UN needs business. A solid working relationship between business and the UN system will be the catalyst for effective implementation.  To be sure, business needs the UN Climate Agreement – but more importantly, the UN needs business.”

Taking Stock: USCIB’s Campaign2015 Initiative 

In early 2015, USCIB launched a dedicated advocacy and outreach initiative to bring the voice of U.S. business into the multiple UN deliberations on sustainability which played out in 2015.

Campaign 2015’s objectives were to:

Represent U.S. business interests in real time – USCIB leadership and staff was able to travel to ensure U.S. business was at the table to inform the policy debate with persuasive and unique content

Champion and amplify USCIB messages, and communicate to influential audiences – USCIB held several dedicated meetings in Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Tokyo to voice positions, stimulate dialogue and advance USCIB visibility.

Promote opportunities and enabling frameworks for business investment, action, collaboration and innovation, utilizing USCIB’s Business for 2030 website as a platform for recommendations and USCIB member achievements.

Looking ahead to 2016, we expect to see a shift of UN discussions towards elaboration, implementation and tracking.   The private sector will be a central participant, and there will be many opportunities for the U.S. business community to contribute to these global endeavors with the right enabling frameworks, and with recognized options for business involvement.

As it determines how to build on Campaign 2015, USCIB will:

  • Assess specific tasks and opportunities assigned to business by the UN 2030 Development Agenda and SDGs in New York and through the UNFCCC
  • Build on USCIB’s Business for 2030 website to continue to collect examples of business action, and offer additional resources for partnerships
  • Identify opportunities to continue the dialogue and demonstrate the value of business engagement in forthcoming policy deliberations.